Ethnography Quote by Gjoko Muratovski
““in addition to taking field notes, you should also consider making visual documentation by producing drawings or taking photographs and video recordings. This is also known as ‘visual ethnography’. But remember, images, videos, and even audio recordings and transcripts should not be used instead of detailed field notes; they should complement them. Without the context that is documented in your field notes, recordings on their own will be of little value to you, or to anyone else who will try to make sense of your study (Madden, 2010: 103–109).””
About This Quote
Source Article: Visual Ethnography Methods, 2010
Visual media should supplement, not replace, detailed field notes to preserve context.
In simple terms: Images and videos complement but don’t replace notes.
Key Takeaway
Document context alongside visual records.
Themes
research methodology
ethnography
documentation
Mood
thoughtful
methodical
Type
academic
practical
When to use this quote
- anthropology fieldwork
- archaeological digs
- journalistic reporting
- user experience studies
Key Concepts
contextual integrity
multimodal data
triangulation
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you ensure visual data retains context?
- What balance works best for your field?
A Different Perspective
Relying solely on media can miss nuanced insights.
![“The anxiety around such work [vulnerably written ethnographies] is that it will prove to be beyond criticism, that it will be undiscussable.” quote by Ruth Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e55/ruth-behar-59459_anxiety_the-anxiety-around-such-work-vulnerably_163375.jpg)
